The Bear that Acted Like a Dog

Once upon a time there was a group of Martians on the planet Mars. They were scientists and they were studying different types of dogs found on the planet Earth. Every once in awhile they would fly down from Mars and land on Earth. They would look for a stray dog and would take it with them back to Mars so they could observe it.

On one of their visits, they accidentally captured a bear cub that they mistook for a dog. The bear cub was dark brown with a white undercoat. The bear cub was in the woods with his family and was waiting for them to return while they were out looking for food.

The bear cub was placed in a large room with the other dogs. Each dog lived in its own cage where it was provided food and water. Each dog also had a dog bed, a few blankets, and toys. Several times each day, a Martian would come into the room, and open the cages. The dogs would run down a long hallway that led to an open field where they could run around and play.

The Martians measured and weighed the dogs on a regular basis, and at times, collect diagnostic information.

From the moment that the bear cub arrived, the bear cub was unlike the other dogs. When it was placed into the room with the other dogs, all the dogs barked at it. They also would not play with it when they were taken outside.

The Martians would often observe the dogs play when they were outside from the Control room. The Control room was a large room that was full of monitors. The monitors were set up so they could observe the dogs in the room with their cages or when they were outside.

One day as the Martians were observing the dogs, one of the lead scientists came into the Control room. After a few minutes of observing the dogs, the Martian said, “I see we have a new dog. What type is it?”

The Martian said, “We’re not sure, but we think it might be this one.” The Martian pointed to a picture of a St. Bernard in a dog book that they found on one of their visits to Earth.

The bear cub did its best to try and fit in with the other dogs. It started to bark, wag its tail, and would sniff the ground a lot when it was outside. Every once in awhile another one of the dogs would approach it, and sniff it, but would quickly run away.

The bear cub quickly grew and within a few months was noticeably larger than the other dogs. It also tended to eat more than the other dogs. The bear cub also had a tendency to explore the area when they were outside. While the other dogs tended to stay in one place, the bear cub would often walk far into the field looking for additional food to eat.

The bear cub was named Alpha Dog because it was larger than the other dogs. If it strayed too far, it would often hear a Martian say, “Alpha dog, where are you? It’s time to go back inside.”

The bear cub was studied for nearly a year before it was returned to Earth. The bear cub was placed into a field. The field was surrounded by a neighboring forest, and the bear cub made its way from the field and into the forest.

As the bear cub looked for food, it stumbled upon a few camp sites. It soon learned to wait until the middle of the night to look for any food left on picnic tables.

As it was eating from an open bag of dry dog food that was leaning against a picnic table, a park ranger shined a flashlight on it. The scared bear cub ran away.

A few days later, while the bear cub was once again eating food left on the picnic table, a large net was thrown over it. Because of the bear cub’s experience with the Martians, it behaved calmly.

The bear cub was placed in a local zoo with a number of other bears. The bears were one of the most frequently visited exhibits at the zoo. One day, while a family was looking at the bears, the bear cub started barking at their dog and wagging his tail. The dog looked like one of the dogs he lived with on Mars, and he was trying to say “Hi”.

One of the zookeepers noticed the bear’s tendency to bark. Between the bear’s coloring and its tendency to bark like a dog, it had a resemblance to a St. Bernard.

The bear quickly became one the visitor’s favorite bears because it was known to bark and wag its tail whenever it saw a dog. Compared to the other bears, it acted more like a dog than a bear. It could always be counted on to play fetch when a trainer came into the exhibit to entertain the visitors. It was also more obedient and easier to train. It was less afraid of the visitors and would approach the guard rail with the trainer so it could interact with children.

The trainer noticed the bear’s tendency to act like a dog, and eventually developed a small act for the visitors. In the large exhibit where the bears lived, the bear would sit in front of the large rocks on the far end of the exhibit and hold a sign that said, “Headed for the Mountains?” A group of St. Bernard dogs would then roll onto the exhibit where they were placed in a large cart with wheels. The outside of the cart was decorated to look like a RV. Two of the dogs pulled the other dogs in the cart. When they reached the bear, one of the St. Bernards would bark at the bear. The bear would then bark back at them. The St. Bernard would wave its head towards the back of the RV as if to say “get in”, and the bear would walk to the back of the car and climb into it. The two St. Bernards would then continue to pull the cart and disappear into the inside of the exhibit.

The bear lived at the zoo for a long time. He was known for his ability to act like a dog, and his surprisingly interest in science fiction movies he could watch from distance that were featured in the amphitheater at the zoo.